Keep Moving
by Reader4077
Summary: AU of the episode "Comrades in Arms" Supposedly, Hawkeye and Margaret were lost for longer than they were in the show? Will they find their way back to the 4077th before the enemy finds them?
1. Lost

Hawkeye was starting to feel panic set in. They had been wandering around for a week now, hopelessly lost. His leg was still bothering him, and if anything hurt even more. But he had managed to learn to push past the pain. In any case, they had to keep moving in hopes of finding help. Hawkeye glanced over at Margaret. She walked along beside him, lost in her own thoughts. Hawkeye sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. They had to keep moving and pray they found help before someone found them. What he wouldn't give to see that rat infested hell hole, the 4077th again!

Margaret plodded alongside Hawkeye. She saw him glance over at her then return to his thoughts. Margaret sighed. She was hungry thirsty and tired. But they had to keep going. If Peirce could keep going with his wounded then she could too! Margaret glanced over at Pierce again. He was definitely favoring his other leg. It had to be killing him! But they had to keep moving. Whenever they got out of this, she would see to it personally that Peirce got a medal of recommendation for his bravery. But first, they had to find some help. Margaret pushed down her exhaustion and kept moving.


	2. Desperate

"Any news colonel?" BJ demanded the instant Potter stepped into the Mess Tent. Instantly, the whole tent was silent, waiting with baited breath. The whole camp was anxious for their head nurse and chief surgeon who had been missing for two weeks now. Potter sighed. He really did not want to have to say this.

"What is it colonel?" B asked, now looking really concerned. Potter drew in a deep breath.

"The Army is sending us replacements." There was complete silence to this announcement. Replacements meant that the Army had given up and was declaring their friends officially dead. Finally BJ exploded, breaking everyone out of their shocked and mournful reverie.

"NO!" BJ said, banging his fists on the table, upsetting his tray. "I _refuse_ to believe that they're dead! Hawk and Margaret are still alive! I know it! We would all feel it if they were dead! I won't give up on them! We owe it to them to keep looking!" Here BJ stood up and addressed the whole tent.

"How many times has Hawkeye lifted our spirits, encouraging us to make the best of our situation? During those never ending sessions in OR, Hawkeye keeps us laughing, from despairing! And Margaret! She never complains, always doing her best no matter what! She is one of the best nurses I've ever worked with and I for one am not going to give up on them! We owe them that much!" The whole camp cheered. BJ turned to Potter.

"We'll do all we can BJ." Potter answered him, answering the question that had been in BJ's eyes. "I miss them too. Radar!" Potter bellowed for his company clerk as he walked out of the tent to begin the 4077th's own search for their missing chief surgeon and head nurse.


	3. The Ambulence

Three weeks had passed and all Hawkeye and Margaret had seen were enemy troops. They had found an abandoned village that they had raided for food and water, but they were beginning to lose hope at ever being rescued or finding help. Hawkeye's leg was now so had that he had to lean on Margaret to walk. But he never said a word. Suddenly Margaret stopped and Hawkeye almost fell over.

"Peirce!" She whispered. "Do you hear that?" Hawkeye stopped and listened. Off in the distance was a faint….something. He nodded and Margaret looked around frantically.

"Quick! Into the bushes!" She whispered. Hawkeye managed to limp over to the side of the road and they hid themselves as the rumbling got louder. Margaret peeked out and almost screamed with excitement. Passing by them was an _American_ ambulance that could only be headed to an aid station or M*A*S*H.

"HEY!" Margaret screamed, coming to her sense and busting out of their hiding place. "HEY! WAIT!" She screamed again, running after the ambulance, waving her arms. Thankfully, the ambulance slowed and came to a stop and Hawkeye pulled himself out of their hiding spot. The ambulance driver climbed out and came running back to meet them. Once Margaret had seen that the ambulance was going to stop, she had run back to help Hawkeye. The driver got on Hawkeye's other side and together, they walked back to the ambulance.

"What are you folks doing way out here?" the driver asked.

"I'm Major Houlihan and this is Captain Peirce. We got lost from our unit, the 4077th M*A*S*H." Margaret explained as they reached the ambulance.

"Major Houlihan and Captain Pierce? Boy, am I glad to see you guys. The 4077th has been going crazy trying to find you two!" The driver opened the back doors then helped Hawkeye and Margaret inside. Then he climbed in the front seat and turned around to face them.

"I'm really sorry, but I can only give you a ride to the nearest aid station." He said.

"We can hitch a lift from there." Margaret answered.


	4. Aid Station

Margaret and Hawkeye climbed out of the back of the ambulance and waved their thanks as the driver drove off. A medic from the aid station came running up to them.

"Let's get you inside and we can take a look at that leg." The medic said, pointing to the bandage on Hawkeye's leg.

"We're actually trying to get back to our unit, the 4077th M*A*S*H. I'm Captain Pierce and this is Major Houlihan." Hawkeye said. He rather have BJ, the Colonel, or even Winchester look at his let. He would trust them with his life.

"Pierce and Houlihan? Thank God you're alive! But sir, are you sure you don't want me to look at your leg? It will only take a minute." The medic inquired. "Then we can see about getting you back to the 4077th." Hawkeye sighed.

"Fine, but I'm telling you, as a doctor, its fine." Hawkeye followed the medic over to their work area. The medic cleaned the wound, stitched it up and put a new bandage on it. Hawkeye had to admit that once he was finished, his leg _did_ feel better. Once he was finished, the medic led them outside to a waiting helicopter. Over the noise of the rotor, the medic shouted,

"Because you're _technically _wounded and our worst case at the moment," the medic yelled, gesturing to the empty space around them, "You qualify for a helicopter ride! Figured it would be faster than a jeep! I didn't tell the 4077th you were coming, just requested a copter! Figured you'd want the fun of the surprise! Now you two take care of yourselves!" Margaret and Hawkeye yelled their thanks to the medic than ran around to the other side of the helicopter and buckled themselves in. Motioning to the pilot that they were ready, they waved their thanks to the medic, then they were taking off and flying over Korea.


	5. Home

Radar froze as he was handing papers to the Colonel to sign.

"What is it Radar?" Potter asked, seeing that far off look on his clerk's face.

"Incoming helicopter sir." Potter dropped his pen and ran out into the compound and shortly heard the distinct sound of a helicopter approaching. All over the compound, people were emerging from tents to watch the helicopter descend, ready to spring into action should it turn out to be wounded.

"Wounded, Colonel?" BJ's voice asked as he came to stand beside Potter as the helicopter landed out of sight on the pad.

"No warning. And I usually get warning." Potter said. The whole camp seemed to hold its breath, as the helicopter took off again, apparently having completed its mission. Then… there! BJ let out a yell as he recognized the forms of Hawkeye and Margaret. He took off running across the compound, and up the hill towards the pad. The whole camp cheered and clapped and yelled their relief. Their missing family members were back! BJ was the first to reach him, but the rest of the camp wasn't far behind him. BJ enveloped them both in a massive hug which soon turned into a massive camp hug. Everyone was happy to see Hawkeye and Margaret back. Finally things calmed down a little bit, but everyone was still wearing their huge grins of relief.

"Where WERE you guys?" BJ finally demanded, asking the question that was on everyone's mind. Potter finally arrived, having gone up the hill at a slightly slower pace, but he heard the question.

"If I weren't so happy to see you two, I'd have you both busted down to private for scaring us like that! I don't remember giving you permission to go AWOL!" Potter said with a smile.

"Sorry about that Colonel." Hawkeye said. "First we reached the 8063rd only to find they had bugged out! So we got out of their as fast as we could, but then our jeep broke down, and we had to hide from some North Koreans. Then we got hopelessly lost, and Margaret here was leading us in circles!" Hawkeye joked. That's when BJ noticed the bandage on Hawkeye's leg.

"Hawk! You're hurt!" He exclaimed.

"It's fine Beej. Nothing serious. The medic at the aid station took care of it for me." BJ looked slightly mollified, but still not convinced.

"Well, it sure is good to have you two back! Now you are never to do that again! Understood?" Potter exclaimed.

"Yes, sir." Hawkeye and Margaret chorused in unison. The whole camp laughed. Margaret couldn't contain her smile. It was good to be home.


End file.
